Из полного собрания бессмыслиц (с параллельным текстом на английском языке). Эдвард Лир

of dead Mice;—

      They swallowed the last of his Shirt with a squall,—

      Whereon he ran home with no clothes on at all.

      And he said to himself, as he bolted the door,

      “I will not wear a similar dress any more,

      Any more, any more, any more, never more!”

      The Pobble who has no toes

I

      The Pobble who has no toes

      Has once as many, as we;

      When they said, “Some day you may lose

                                                                  them all;” —

      Hereplied, – “Fish fiddle de-dee!”

      And his Aunt Jobiska made him drink,

      Lavender water tinged with pink,

      For she said, “The World in general knows

      There’s nothing so good for a Pobble’s toes!”

II

      The Pobble who has no toes,

      Swam across the Bristol Channel;

      But before he set out he wrapped his nose,

      In a piece of scarlet flannel.

      For his Aunt Jobiska said, “No harm

      Can come to his toes if his nose is warm;

      And it’s perfectly known that a Pobble’s toes

      Are safe, – provided he minds his nose.»

III

      The Pobble swam fast and well

      And when boats or ships came near him

      He tinkledy-binkledy-winkled a bell

      So that all the world could hear him.

      And all the Sailors and Admirals cried,

      When they saw him nearing the further side,—

      “He has gone to fish, for his Aunt Jobiska’s

      Runcible Cat with crimson whiskers!”

IV

      But before he touched the shore,

      The shore of Bristol Channel,

      A sea-green Porpoise carried away

      His wrapper of scarlet flannel.

      And when he came to observe his feet

      Formely garnished with toes so neat

      His face at once became forlorn

      On perceiving that all his toes were gone!

V

      And nobody ever knew

      From that dark day to the present,